LOS ANGELES (CNS) — A new interim housing project on Los Angeles’ westside will be developed on an underutilized city-owned parking lot, adding much-needed interim beds to the Fifth District’s homeless housing supply, city officials announced Monday.

The new interim housing project will be located at 2377 Midvale Ave., at the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Midvale Avenue. When the councilwoman first took office, there were fewer than 100 interim housing units available for the district’s 1,300 unhoused individuals, according to Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky’s office.

“Anyone who has walked or driven on the Westside can tell you that the increase in the number of people living in tents is alarming,” Yaroslavsky said in a statement. “We cannot keep waiting for the problem to solve itself — we need real solutions that we know work, and we need them quickly.”

Yaroslavsky added that while thousands of units of permanent housing are being constructed across the city, “no interim units are in the pipeline” in the Fifth District.

“We need interim solutions now that we know will work,” Yaroslavsky said in a statement.

In the last decade, homelessness in Los Angeles has more than doubled, with more than 46,000 Angelenos lacking a “stable and secure” place to sleep on a given night. More than 70% of those individuals and families are unsheltered, meaning they are sleeping in tents, parks, and sidewalks and in cars due to the city’s “ongoing lack of both interim and permanent housing,” Yaroslavsky noted.

LA Mayor Karen Bass expressed her gratitude in a statement for the councilwoman’s commitment to bring interim housing to her district.

“It is imperative that we have housing solutions in every area of the city, which is why I am pleased to support Councilwoman Yaroslavsky’s initiative to add much needed interim housing on L.A.’s Westside,” Bass said in a statement.

“While permanent housing is always the goal to house Angelenos living on our streets, we must continue to bring people inside to confront the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles and to prevent five people from dying on our streets every day.”

The interim housing project will serve adults currently residing on the streets in the neighborhoods near the facility. The project will provide participants with ensuite bathrooms, storage, laundry facilities and three meals per day.

A team of mental health and substance use disorder specialists, permanent housing navigation support and employment assistance will be made available to help those Angelenos reestablish their lives.

Developer LifeArk is set to finish the project within a few months due to its process of using prefabricated structures. The project is expected to break ground before the end of this year and open in 2024.

“LifeArk is honored to partner with Council District 5 and LA Family Housing to bring an innovative housing solution to the Westside providing safe, dignified homes for those transitioning out of homelessness,” Charles Wee, founder and CEO of LifeArk, said in a statement.

Once opened, LA Family Housing will manage facility operations. The project will include 24/7 on-site security services to create a safe environment for participants as well as the surrounding community.